Details of what happened to 25-year-old Brandon Johnson during his three-day stay at the Milwaukee County Mental Health Complex grew murky Wednesday, as staffers gave often inconsistent testimony in an unusual open-court John Doe investigation into Johnson's death.

Many said they couldn't recall certain details of their interaction with Johnson - including whether he complained of paralysis in his legs. Some nursing staff members gave accounts in court that differed from what they had told detectives shortly after Johnson died at the complex on Oct. 6. Some staffers' stories conflicted with those of others.

In one instance, even the name a nurse used to identify herself to Brandon Johnson's mother was in dispute. Alicia Johnson earlier in the week told of a conversation she had with a nurse who called herself "Tatiana" and said her son's claim he had no feeling in his legs was a delusion.

Sandra Fleming said she had the conversation with Alicia Johnson in which she said Brandon's problem was psychological, not physical. But Fleming denied saying her name was Tatiana or exchanging small talk about makeup and clothes, which Alicia Johnson claimed.

"I didn't really think that there was a (physical) problem," Fleming testified. Fleming also denied having told Alicia Johnson her son had become incontinent.

The hearing is aimed at determining whether anyone should be held liable in Johnson's death. Johnson broke a vertebra in his neck and died from blood clots related to the injury, according to a medical examiner who conducted an autopsy.

Johnson told staff he had suffered a fall in his room, but doctors at the complex did not discover his broken neck and decided he was feigning paralysis.

Two nurses and a nursing assistant testified that they didn't know Johnson complained he couldn't move his legs on his first day at the complex on Oct. 3.

Registered nurse Laruthiea Jones said she had "never had any personal conversation with Brandon" during his second night at the complex, though she was on duty and Johnson was one of her patients. Jones said she had no recollection of Johnson complaining his legs were paralyzed or that his back hurt that night.

Jones also denied having a conversation with Johnson on his third night in which he complained of stomach pain and asked to be taken to a nursing home.

However, sheriff's Detective Mark Gaudynski testified that Jones had told him those things when he interviewed her Oct. 9. Gaudynski said Jones told him that Johnson had said "his spine was broken and detached."

Stephen Pauloski, another registered nurse at the complex, said he didn't recall asking Johnson to stand up and Johnson telling him he couldn't because he was paralyzed. Pauloski also said he didn't recall asking Johnson if he could feel him touching Johnson's leg.

"It's so long ago I just don't remember," Pauloski testified.

"The first time I heard Mr. Johnson had an alleged fall was when I spoke to the detective" 11 days after Johnson died, Pauloski said. "I was shocked. I never heard of that before."

Rachel Cieslik, another sheriff's detective, said Pauloski had told her those things.

Rebecca Chenfoo, another nurse at the complex, said she couldn't remember whether Johnson had said anything about a fall. But he told her he couldn't get up on his own, Chenfoo said.

But Chenfoo, like others at the complex, said she thought Johnson was faking the paralysis. She said after a nursing assistant reported that Johnson had moved on his own after his reported fall, that "meant he was fine," Chenfoo said.

Nursing assistant Dorothy Clark testified that she had seen Johnson roll from side to side on his mattress, which had been placed on the floor for him. Clark said she had heard from another staffer that Johnson "got up and walked" after his reported injury. She said she didn't remember who told her that.

Staff at the complex disagreed about which doctor had conducted a physical exam of Brandon Johnson on Oct. 5. David Drake testified Tuesday he conducted the exam, but didn't discover or suspect the broken vertebra discovered by the medical examiner.

Nurse Bobbi Sherrer-Jones, however, said Wednesday she was sure a different staffer did the exam. Sherrer-Jones said she was not aware that Johnson had reported falling in his room Oct. 3.

The John Doe hearing is to continue Thursday.

About Steve Schultze

Schultze joined the Milwaukee Journal staff in 1985, covering state government and politics from the paper's state capitol bureau in Madison. He also served as Madison bureau chief for five years. Following the Journal-Sentinel merger in 1995, Schultze shifted to the paper's investigative/enterprise team, where he co-authored series on abusive teachers in the Milwaukee Public Schools, influence peddling in the administration of Gov. Tommy Thompson and shortcomings of a $3 billion regional sewer system upgrade. In 2007, he began covering Milwaukee County government. Schultze is a graduate of the University of Colorado School of Journalism.